By Aaron Morse
Everyone in the Huntsville Stars’ (23-23) lineup tallied a hit and a late Chris Errecart home run was the difference as they got back to .500 with a 6-5 victory over the Birmingham Barons (14-31) in game one of Thursday’s double header.
The Stars jumped out to the early lead in the bottom of the third. Drew Anderson, just assigned to Huntsville from Nashville yesterday, doubled to lead-off the frame. Two outs later, Lorenzo Cain continued his hot hitting by singling him home. The base knock gave Cain an eight-game hitting streak.
Huntsville got some help from one of the major leaguers currently rehabbing with the squad in the fourth when Mat Gamel singled with one away. With two outs, Caleb Gindl hit a chopper to the right side, pitcher Justin Edwards was late covering the bag and Gindl arrived safely. The break gave the Stars new life and Anderson took advantage as he singled to left to drive in Gamel.
The Barons would cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the fifth against Stars’ starter Michael Bowman. Cole Armstrong doubled to start things off. Two outs later John Shelby III delivered a clutch RBI triple that Lee Haydel nearly caught up against the wall out in left-center field.
But the Stars’ offense exploded in the bottom half. Martin Maldonado hit a ringing double which was quickly followed by a Cain single to center. With runners at the corners, Haydel drew a walk to load the bases. That’s when Brett Lawrie came up big with a 2-RBI single to extend the lead to 4-1 and take-over the team lead in RBI. The base hit chased Edwards from the game. New pitcher Andrew Dobies was victimized by a Zelous Wheeler single to right which drove home Haydel.
The Barons got one back in the top of the sixth on a two-out RBI single from Christian Marrero.
With the score 5-2, Errecart smacked a homer to left that extended the lead in the bottom of the sixth.
That long ball would turn out to be huge as the Barons tallied two runs off Bowman and one run off closer Brandon Kintzler in the top of the seventh. But Kintzler got Brent Morel to strike-out to end the game and earn his ninth save of the year. Bowman got the win to move to 4-4 while Edwards took the loss to fall to 2-2.
Cain, Anderson, and Lawrie had the biggest days at the plate as Cain went 3-4 with a run scored and a RBI. Meanwhile Anderson went 2-3 with a run scored and a RBI as well. Lawrie went 1-4, but his one hit got him 2 RBI.
The win breaks a three-game losing streak for the Stars and moves them back to five games behind the Smokies in the North Division.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Stars drop third straight to Braves
By Aaron Morse
The Huntsville Stars (22-23) couldn’t hold onto an early lead for the third consecutive game as they lost by a final score of 5-2 to the Mississippi Braves (23-22) Monday night.
The Stars got off to a fast start in the top of the first when Lorenzo Cain smacked his third triple of the season. Lee Haydel followed that up with a bloop single to give the Stars a 1-0 lead.
Stars starter Alex Periard (2-3) worked around a two-out triple and a walk in the bottom half of the first. The native of Quebec, Canada pitched his way out of trouble in every frame through the first four innings. His biggest challenge came in the bottom of the fourth when the Braves loaded the bases with only one away. But he got the Braves’ pitcher Erik Cordier to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the jam.
Huntsville would tack on an insurance run in the top of the fifth thanks to some clutch two-out hitting. Martin Maldonado started things off with a single to left. Periard bunted him over to second. After Cain drew a walk, Haydel flew-out to left. But that’s when Brett Lawrie came up big with a single up the middle to plate Maldonado.
The 2-0 lead would be extremely short-lived as Mauro Gomez smacked a three-run jack off Periard in the bottom of the 5th. That would be Periard’s final inning of work as he scattered seven hits, giving up three runs, two earned, while walking three and striking out two on the evening.
The Stars’ bullpen continued its recent struggles in the bottom of the 6th. Reliever Donovan Hand gave up a one-out double to Randy Gress. After he hit Cody Johnson, Alex Romero delivered a double to right to drive in Gress. One out later, Eric Duncan singled home Romero to extend the lead to 5-2.
Erik Cordier (3-3) tossed six innings to get the win, while Periard took the loss. Brett Butts worked a scoreless ninth for the save. With the defeat, the Stars dropped the series three games to two. Tennessee won Monday night so Huntsville is now five games back in the north division.
The Stars have a much-needed off day Tuesday before they host the Birmingham Barons for a five game series starting on Wednesday. The Stars took 4 of 5 from the Barons earlier this month. First pitch in the opener will be at 7pm Central Time on www.huntsvillestars.com.
The Huntsville Stars (22-23) couldn’t hold onto an early lead for the third consecutive game as they lost by a final score of 5-2 to the Mississippi Braves (23-22) Monday night.
The Stars got off to a fast start in the top of the first when Lorenzo Cain smacked his third triple of the season. Lee Haydel followed that up with a bloop single to give the Stars a 1-0 lead.
Stars starter Alex Periard (2-3) worked around a two-out triple and a walk in the bottom half of the first. The native of Quebec, Canada pitched his way out of trouble in every frame through the first four innings. His biggest challenge came in the bottom of the fourth when the Braves loaded the bases with only one away. But he got the Braves’ pitcher Erik Cordier to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the jam.
Huntsville would tack on an insurance run in the top of the fifth thanks to some clutch two-out hitting. Martin Maldonado started things off with a single to left. Periard bunted him over to second. After Cain drew a walk, Haydel flew-out to left. But that’s when Brett Lawrie came up big with a single up the middle to plate Maldonado.
The 2-0 lead would be extremely short-lived as Mauro Gomez smacked a three-run jack off Periard in the bottom of the 5th. That would be Periard’s final inning of work as he scattered seven hits, giving up three runs, two earned, while walking three and striking out two on the evening.
The Stars’ bullpen continued its recent struggles in the bottom of the 6th. Reliever Donovan Hand gave up a one-out double to Randy Gress. After he hit Cody Johnson, Alex Romero delivered a double to right to drive in Gress. One out later, Eric Duncan singled home Romero to extend the lead to 5-2.
Erik Cordier (3-3) tossed six innings to get the win, while Periard took the loss. Brett Butts worked a scoreless ninth for the save. With the defeat, the Stars dropped the series three games to two. Tennessee won Monday night so Huntsville is now five games back in the north division.
The Stars have a much-needed off day Tuesday before they host the Birmingham Barons for a five game series starting on Wednesday. The Stars took 4 of 5 from the Barons earlier this month. First pitch in the opener will be at 7pm Central Time on www.huntsvillestars.com.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Eighth inning not a friendly one as Stars fall to Braves
By Aaron Morse
The Huntsville Stars (22-22) scored three runs in the top of the eighth to take the lead, but the Mississippi Braves (22-22) responded with six of their own as the Stars fell by a score of 9-5 Sunday afternoon.
The Stars found themselves in an early 2-0 hole as the Braves scored one in the second and one in the third against starter Amaury Rivas.
But Brett Lawrie smacked his third homer of the season in the top of the 6th to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Rivas’ final inning of work featured a Cody Johnson RBI single to give the Braves a 3-1 lead. His outing was nowhere near his best, but he managed to only surrender three runs in six innings, despite giving up 11 hits. He struck out four and walked one.
It looked like the Stars would be in good shape when they got to the Braves’ bullpen in the top of the eighth. With one away and the bases full, Caleb Gindl singled home Lee Haydel to draw the Stars within one. After that, Chris Errecart reached on a force-attempt at second base. One run would have scored anyways, but a throwing error allowed everyone to be safe and for two runs to score. The Stars would leave the bases loaded when a strike-out and a fly-out ended the inning.
The 4-3 lead would be short-lived. Jim Henderson had tossed a scoreless seventh inning, but the Stars brought in Nick Green for the eighth and he did not fare so well. Back-to-back singles put runners on first and second with only one away. An Alex Romero double plated both runs and just like that it was 5-4 Braves. A sacrifice fly, a single, an intentional walk, and two more singles completed the scoring and when the dust cleared it was 9-4 Braves.
The Stars got one back in the top of the ninth on a Lawrie RBI single, but that was all she wrote.
Juan Abreu (2-0) got the win out of the bullpen for the Braves while Nick Green (0-1) took the loss.
Lawrie and Lee Haydel had big days at the plate for the Stars as Lawrie went 3-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Haydel also had a multi-hit game as he went 2-4 with a run scored.
Both the Smokies and the Diamond Jaxx lost Sunday, so the Stars did not lose any ground in the North Division. They remain four games back of Tennessee.
The Stars will look to take the rubber match of the five game series Monday night. They’ll send Alex Periard (2-2, 4.05 ERA) to the mound. Join us on the Huntsville Stars Radio Network beginning at 6:50pm Central Time.
The Huntsville Stars (22-22) scored three runs in the top of the eighth to take the lead, but the Mississippi Braves (22-22) responded with six of their own as the Stars fell by a score of 9-5 Sunday afternoon.
The Stars found themselves in an early 2-0 hole as the Braves scored one in the second and one in the third against starter Amaury Rivas.
But Brett Lawrie smacked his third homer of the season in the top of the 6th to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Rivas’ final inning of work featured a Cody Johnson RBI single to give the Braves a 3-1 lead. His outing was nowhere near his best, but he managed to only surrender three runs in six innings, despite giving up 11 hits. He struck out four and walked one.
It looked like the Stars would be in good shape when they got to the Braves’ bullpen in the top of the eighth. With one away and the bases full, Caleb Gindl singled home Lee Haydel to draw the Stars within one. After that, Chris Errecart reached on a force-attempt at second base. One run would have scored anyways, but a throwing error allowed everyone to be safe and for two runs to score. The Stars would leave the bases loaded when a strike-out and a fly-out ended the inning.
The 4-3 lead would be short-lived. Jim Henderson had tossed a scoreless seventh inning, but the Stars brought in Nick Green for the eighth and he did not fare so well. Back-to-back singles put runners on first and second with only one away. An Alex Romero double plated both runs and just like that it was 5-4 Braves. A sacrifice fly, a single, an intentional walk, and two more singles completed the scoring and when the dust cleared it was 9-4 Braves.
The Stars got one back in the top of the ninth on a Lawrie RBI single, but that was all she wrote.
Juan Abreu (2-0) got the win out of the bullpen for the Braves while Nick Green (0-1) took the loss.
Lawrie and Lee Haydel had big days at the plate for the Stars as Lawrie went 3-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Haydel also had a multi-hit game as he went 2-4 with a run scored.
Both the Smokies and the Diamond Jaxx lost Sunday, so the Stars did not lose any ground in the North Division. They remain four games back of Tennessee.
The Stars will look to take the rubber match of the five game series Monday night. They’ll send Alex Periard (2-2, 4.05 ERA) to the mound. Join us on the Huntsville Stars Radio Network beginning at 6:50pm Central Time.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Stars take early lead, but fall to Braves
By Aaron Morse
The Huntsville Stars (22-21) got a tremendous performance from Mark Rogers, but blew a 3-0 lead as they fell 4-3 to the Mississippi Braves (21-22) Saturday night.
Rogers walked a season low one batter while striking out six in what was arguably his best outing of the season. The Stars would get him some run support right away.
With one out in the first inning, Caleb Gindl was hit by a pitch. Brett Lawrie followed that up with a single up the gut. A Zelous Wheeler RBI double made it 1-0 Stars. Friday night’s hero Chris Errecart followed that up with a RBI grounder to plate Lawrie and extend the advantage to 2-0.
The lone difficult inning for Rogers came in the bottom of the second. An error, a single and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out. But Rogers caught a break when Alejandro Machado lined a shot right back to the mound. Rogers caught it and doubled off the runner at second base. He would get the next hitter to ground-out and got out of the jam unscathed.
Rogers helped his own cause in the top of the fourth. With one away Chuckie Caufield reached on a bunt single to extend his hitting streak to six games. With two away, Martin Maldonado drew a walk. That’s when Rogers laced a single to center to drive home Caufield.
After Rogers departed, Mark Willinsky took over and worked a very quick sixth inning.
But the Braves got two runs back in the bottom of the seventh on a couple of singles, and some shaky Stars defense. A Juan Gonzalez single plated Donell Linares, who had also singled, and the Stars’ lead was 3-1. Then things got crazy. With runners at the corners and two down, Alex Romero hit a grounder to Andy Machado. Machado’s throw to Lawrie at second base was wide and got away. One run scored, but Cody Johnson was gunned down at the plate by Chris Errecart. Johnson was immediately ejected from the game as he slammed his helmet down in anger. Braves’ manager Phillip Wellman would also be ejected. When the dust cleared, the Stars held on to a razor-thin one-run lead.
Huntsville nearly got an insurance run in the top of the eighth, but Wheeler was thrown out at the plate trying to score on an Andy Machado fly ball to end the inning.
Robert Hinton relieved Willinsky in the eighth inning and ran into trouble. He gave up a single and hit a man with nobody out. But a failed sacrifice bunt allowed the Stars to get the lead runner at third. A Donell Linares 2-RBI double would give the Braves a 4-3 edge.
Hinton (0-2) took the loss while Juan Abreu (1-0) got the win for Mississippi. Lee Hyde worked a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the year.
With the loss the Stars drop to four games back of the Smokies in the North Division. It also snaps their four-game winning streak. It’s also only the second time all year the Stars have lost when leading after six innings.
The Stars are back in action Sunday afternoon as they’ll send their ace Amaury Rivas (5-2, 2.05 ERA) to the mound. First pitch is at 2:05 pm Central Time. You can tune in on http://www.huntsvillestars.com.
The Huntsville Stars (22-21) got a tremendous performance from Mark Rogers, but blew a 3-0 lead as they fell 4-3 to the Mississippi Braves (21-22) Saturday night.
Rogers walked a season low one batter while striking out six in what was arguably his best outing of the season. The Stars would get him some run support right away.
With one out in the first inning, Caleb Gindl was hit by a pitch. Brett Lawrie followed that up with a single up the gut. A Zelous Wheeler RBI double made it 1-0 Stars. Friday night’s hero Chris Errecart followed that up with a RBI grounder to plate Lawrie and extend the advantage to 2-0.
The lone difficult inning for Rogers came in the bottom of the second. An error, a single and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out. But Rogers caught a break when Alejandro Machado lined a shot right back to the mound. Rogers caught it and doubled off the runner at second base. He would get the next hitter to ground-out and got out of the jam unscathed.
Rogers helped his own cause in the top of the fourth. With one away Chuckie Caufield reached on a bunt single to extend his hitting streak to six games. With two away, Martin Maldonado drew a walk. That’s when Rogers laced a single to center to drive home Caufield.
After Rogers departed, Mark Willinsky took over and worked a very quick sixth inning.
But the Braves got two runs back in the bottom of the seventh on a couple of singles, and some shaky Stars defense. A Juan Gonzalez single plated Donell Linares, who had also singled, and the Stars’ lead was 3-1. Then things got crazy. With runners at the corners and two down, Alex Romero hit a grounder to Andy Machado. Machado’s throw to Lawrie at second base was wide and got away. One run scored, but Cody Johnson was gunned down at the plate by Chris Errecart. Johnson was immediately ejected from the game as he slammed his helmet down in anger. Braves’ manager Phillip Wellman would also be ejected. When the dust cleared, the Stars held on to a razor-thin one-run lead.
Huntsville nearly got an insurance run in the top of the eighth, but Wheeler was thrown out at the plate trying to score on an Andy Machado fly ball to end the inning.
Robert Hinton relieved Willinsky in the eighth inning and ran into trouble. He gave up a single and hit a man with nobody out. But a failed sacrifice bunt allowed the Stars to get the lead runner at third. A Donell Linares 2-RBI double would give the Braves a 4-3 edge.
Hinton (0-2) took the loss while Juan Abreu (1-0) got the win for Mississippi. Lee Hyde worked a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the year.
With the loss the Stars drop to four games back of the Smokies in the North Division. It also snaps their four-game winning streak. It’s also only the second time all year the Stars have lost when leading after six innings.
The Stars are back in action Sunday afternoon as they’ll send their ace Amaury Rivas (5-2, 2.05 ERA) to the mound. First pitch is at 2:05 pm Central Time. You can tune in on http://www.huntsvillestars.com.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Stars go the extra mile to defeat Braves
By Aaron Morse
Chris Errecart doubled home Lorenzo Cain and Brett Lawrie in the top of the 10th as the Huntsville Stars (22-20) knocked off the Mississippi Braves (20-22) by a final score of 4-2 Friday night.
The Stars got on the board in the top of the second against Braves’ starter Mike Minor by playing some small ball. With nobody out, Zelous Wheeler doubled to left. After Chris Errecart was hit by a pitch, Chuckie Caufield moved the runners over with a beautiful sacrifice bunt. With the infield back, Andy Machado hit a grounder to short to drive in Wheeler and give the Stars a 1-0 lead.
Stars starter Chris Cody would get an assist from his defense in the bottom of the third. With two down and a man on second, Mauro Gomez sent a single into left that Haydel fielded. Donell Linares attempted to score on the play and Haydel gunned him down at the plate.
Machado continued his solid day at the plate in the top of the fourth. The inning started with the old lead-off base-on-balls to Wheeler. Zelous would steal second and advance to third on a Caufield single. That’s when Machado drilled a double to right to plate Wheeler and put runners at 2nd and 3rd with only one down. But Sean McCraw would strike-out and Cody grounded out to end the inning with the Stars up 2-0.
But the Braves would threaten in the bottom of the fourth. They loaded the bases with nobody out and appeared to be on the cusp of getting a crooked number in the runs column. On a pay-off pitch to Alejandro Machado, the shortstop lined out to Andy Machado who coolly flipped the ball to Brett Lawrie for a 6-4 double-play. Cody was able to get the pitcher Mike Minor to hit a deep fly-ball to left-field where Lee Haydel chased it down for the third out of the inning.
Mississippi would cut the Stars’ lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a solo homer off the bat of Eric Duncan.
Cody walked a tightrope through his five innings of work, as the Braves left nine stranded while he scattered eight hits, surrendering only the lone Duncan solo shot.
Donovan Hand relieved Cody and tossed two perfect innings of relief. But he got into a bit of a pickle in the eighth. With nobody out, Gomez doubled to center. Willie Cabrera followed that with a single to right, putting runners at the corners. That would be all for Hand as Mike Guerrero chose to bring in the lefty Casey Baron. Cabrera would steal second base to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. Cody Johnson worked Baron to a full count and drew a walk. Once again the Braves had the bases full with no outs. Orlando Mercado delivered a sacrifice fly to left that scored Gomez to tie the game at two.
But Baron was able to escape the inning with no further damage as he picked off Cabrera and got Machado to ground out.
The Stars tried to respond immediately in the top of the ninth. New pitcher Brett Butts hit Chris Errecart. That was followed by a bunt from Scott Krieger going the Stars way as Butts couldn’t handle the ball, allowing everyone to arrive safely at their respective bags. Machado would bunt both runners over, putting runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out. But Sean McCraw struck-out, leaving it up to Juan Sanchez. But Sanchez would ground-out, allowing Butts to escape the jam.
Baron walked the lead-off man Juan Gonzalez in the bottom of the 9th inning. A sacrifice bunt moved Gonzalez to second base. After that, Stars decided to intentionally walk Linares. It paid off when Duncan lined into an unassisted double play as Chris Errecart caught the ball and tagged out Linares to end the inning.
In the top of the 10th, Cain drew a lead-off walk. Brent Brewer bunted him over to second. After the Braves intentionally walked Lawrie, Wheeler drew a walk to load the bases. That’s when Errecart delivered his big double to plate Cain and Lawrie and give the Stars a 4-2 lead.
Brandon Kintzler nailed down his eighth save of the year in the bottom of the tenth, which gives him a tie for the Southern League lead.
Baron’s (1-0) two innings of work out of the bullpen were enough to get him his first win of the year. Meanwhile Butts (0-1) took the loss.
No one on the Stars tallied a multi-hit game, but Machado drove in two of the four runs.
The victory brings the Stars to within three games of the division-leading Smokies, who lost to Jacksonville.
Huntsville sends Mark Rogers (2-3, 4.20 ERA) to the mound Saturday as they look to clinch the series. Join us starting at 6:50 for the Window World Pre-Game Report. You can catch all the action on 1450 AM/92.9 FM WTKI and the Stars Radio Network. The game can always be heard on www.huntsvillestars.com as well.
Chris Errecart doubled home Lorenzo Cain and Brett Lawrie in the top of the 10th as the Huntsville Stars (22-20) knocked off the Mississippi Braves (20-22) by a final score of 4-2 Friday night.
The Stars got on the board in the top of the second against Braves’ starter Mike Minor by playing some small ball. With nobody out, Zelous Wheeler doubled to left. After Chris Errecart was hit by a pitch, Chuckie Caufield moved the runners over with a beautiful sacrifice bunt. With the infield back, Andy Machado hit a grounder to short to drive in Wheeler and give the Stars a 1-0 lead.
Stars starter Chris Cody would get an assist from his defense in the bottom of the third. With two down and a man on second, Mauro Gomez sent a single into left that Haydel fielded. Donell Linares attempted to score on the play and Haydel gunned him down at the plate.
Machado continued his solid day at the plate in the top of the fourth. The inning started with the old lead-off base-on-balls to Wheeler. Zelous would steal second and advance to third on a Caufield single. That’s when Machado drilled a double to right to plate Wheeler and put runners at 2nd and 3rd with only one down. But Sean McCraw would strike-out and Cody grounded out to end the inning with the Stars up 2-0.
But the Braves would threaten in the bottom of the fourth. They loaded the bases with nobody out and appeared to be on the cusp of getting a crooked number in the runs column. On a pay-off pitch to Alejandro Machado, the shortstop lined out to Andy Machado who coolly flipped the ball to Brett Lawrie for a 6-4 double-play. Cody was able to get the pitcher Mike Minor to hit a deep fly-ball to left-field where Lee Haydel chased it down for the third out of the inning.
Mississippi would cut the Stars’ lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a solo homer off the bat of Eric Duncan.
Cody walked a tightrope through his five innings of work, as the Braves left nine stranded while he scattered eight hits, surrendering only the lone Duncan solo shot.
Donovan Hand relieved Cody and tossed two perfect innings of relief. But he got into a bit of a pickle in the eighth. With nobody out, Gomez doubled to center. Willie Cabrera followed that with a single to right, putting runners at the corners. That would be all for Hand as Mike Guerrero chose to bring in the lefty Casey Baron. Cabrera would steal second base to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. Cody Johnson worked Baron to a full count and drew a walk. Once again the Braves had the bases full with no outs. Orlando Mercado delivered a sacrifice fly to left that scored Gomez to tie the game at two.
But Baron was able to escape the inning with no further damage as he picked off Cabrera and got Machado to ground out.
The Stars tried to respond immediately in the top of the ninth. New pitcher Brett Butts hit Chris Errecart. That was followed by a bunt from Scott Krieger going the Stars way as Butts couldn’t handle the ball, allowing everyone to arrive safely at their respective bags. Machado would bunt both runners over, putting runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out. But Sean McCraw struck-out, leaving it up to Juan Sanchez. But Sanchez would ground-out, allowing Butts to escape the jam.
Baron walked the lead-off man Juan Gonzalez in the bottom of the 9th inning. A sacrifice bunt moved Gonzalez to second base. After that, Stars decided to intentionally walk Linares. It paid off when Duncan lined into an unassisted double play as Chris Errecart caught the ball and tagged out Linares to end the inning.
In the top of the 10th, Cain drew a lead-off walk. Brent Brewer bunted him over to second. After the Braves intentionally walked Lawrie, Wheeler drew a walk to load the bases. That’s when Errecart delivered his big double to plate Cain and Lawrie and give the Stars a 4-2 lead.
Brandon Kintzler nailed down his eighth save of the year in the bottom of the tenth, which gives him a tie for the Southern League lead.
Baron’s (1-0) two innings of work out of the bullpen were enough to get him his first win of the year. Meanwhile Butts (0-1) took the loss.
No one on the Stars tallied a multi-hit game, but Machado drove in two of the four runs.
The victory brings the Stars to within three games of the division-leading Smokies, who lost to Jacksonville.
Huntsville sends Mark Rogers (2-3, 4.20 ERA) to the mound Saturday as they look to clinch the series. Join us starting at 6:50 for the Window World Pre-Game Report. You can catch all the action on 1450 AM/92.9 FM WTKI and the Stars Radio Network. The game can always be heard on www.huntsvillestars.com as well.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Stars weather the weather, get third straight win
By Aaron Morse
After sitting through a rain delay that lasted two hours and 12 minutes, the Huntsville Stars (21-20) used an outstanding performance from Michael Bowman (3-4) to prevail 5-4 over the Mississippi Braves (20-21) Thursday night into Friday morning.
The Stars put runners on first and third with two away in the top of the first before the teams were called off the field due to the impending thunder storm. The delay forced the Braves to switch pitchers, Ryne Reynoso (0-1) replaced starter Richard Sullivan when the game resumed.
The Stars did not need to switch pitchers as Bowman had yet to throw a pitch in the game so rust would be at a minimum. That was certainly the case as he tossed six innings of one-hit ball, walking two and striking out five.
Chuck Caufield got the Stars on the board in the top of the fourth with a solo homer off Reynoso. It’s the first long ball of the year for Caufield.
Huntsville would get some much-needed insurance in the top of the seventh. With one away Martin Maldonado singled up the middle. Scott Krieger pinch hit for Bowman and came up big with a single to center for his second hit as a Huntsville Star. Back to the top of the order the Stars went and Lorenzo Cain continued his excellent season with a single to left to drive home Maldonado. Cain’s single chased Reynoso from the game. Relief pitcher Thomas Palica was greeted rather rudely by Brett Lawrie as the former first round pick smacked his league-leading seventh triple of the year, clearing the bases and extending the lead to 4-0. A Braves error allowed Lawrie to cross home to complete the scoring. When the dust cleared, the Stars had a 5-0 advantage.
Robert Hinton relieved Bowman for the bottom half of the seventh inning and got some help from Cain, who made a spectacular catch as he crashed into the wall 380 feet away from home plate on a ball hit by Mauro Gomez.
Hinton would run into trouble in the eighth inning as Randy Gress started things off for the Braves with a double to left. Two outs later, Hinton walked Alex Romero. A Donell Linares single drove in Gress and that was quickly followed by an Eric Duncan RBI single as well. With the lead cut to 5-2, manager Mike Guerrero brought in Nick Green to put out the fire. In his first appearance for the Stars this season, Green got some help from Chris Errecart. The first-baseman made a nice catch over the railing in foul territory on a pop-up to end the inning.
Green gave up a lead-off single in the bottom of the ninth. One out later, another single brought the tying run to the plate. That would be all for Green as Brandon Kintzler entered to try and finish off the victory. Kintzler would walk pinch-hitter Orlando Mercado to load the bases. But he would bounce back to strike-out Travis Jones on three straight pitches. Romero would single home Gress and Willie Cabrera, and the Stars found themselves only up 5-4.
With the tying and winning runs aboard, Kintzler got Linares to line out to Cain to secure his seventh save of the season.
Lawrie and Cain both had big days at the plate as Brett went 2-3 with a run scored and two driven in. Cain also had a couple of hits with a run scored and a RBI. Cain swiped his 10th base of the year, but not to be out-done; Lawrie stole two bags to take the team lead with 11. Meanwhile Caufield’s homer extended his hitting streak to four games.
The win pulls the Stars to within a half game of West Tennessee for the second place spot in the North Division. The Smokies also won Thursday, so Huntsville remains four games out of first.
The Stars are back on the air Friday night for game two of the five-game set with the Braves. Join us on the AM 1450/92.9 FM WTKI and the Stars Radio Network or www.huntsvillestars.com beginning at 6:50pm Central Time. Former first round pick Mark Rogers (2-3, 4.20 ERA) heads to the mound to take on Mississippi’s Mike Minor (1-3, 3.43 ERA).
After sitting through a rain delay that lasted two hours and 12 minutes, the Huntsville Stars (21-20) used an outstanding performance from Michael Bowman (3-4) to prevail 5-4 over the Mississippi Braves (20-21) Thursday night into Friday morning.
The Stars put runners on first and third with two away in the top of the first before the teams were called off the field due to the impending thunder storm. The delay forced the Braves to switch pitchers, Ryne Reynoso (0-1) replaced starter Richard Sullivan when the game resumed.
The Stars did not need to switch pitchers as Bowman had yet to throw a pitch in the game so rust would be at a minimum. That was certainly the case as he tossed six innings of one-hit ball, walking two and striking out five.
Chuck Caufield got the Stars on the board in the top of the fourth with a solo homer off Reynoso. It’s the first long ball of the year for Caufield.
Huntsville would get some much-needed insurance in the top of the seventh. With one away Martin Maldonado singled up the middle. Scott Krieger pinch hit for Bowman and came up big with a single to center for his second hit as a Huntsville Star. Back to the top of the order the Stars went and Lorenzo Cain continued his excellent season with a single to left to drive home Maldonado. Cain’s single chased Reynoso from the game. Relief pitcher Thomas Palica was greeted rather rudely by Brett Lawrie as the former first round pick smacked his league-leading seventh triple of the year, clearing the bases and extending the lead to 4-0. A Braves error allowed Lawrie to cross home to complete the scoring. When the dust cleared, the Stars had a 5-0 advantage.
Robert Hinton relieved Bowman for the bottom half of the seventh inning and got some help from Cain, who made a spectacular catch as he crashed into the wall 380 feet away from home plate on a ball hit by Mauro Gomez.
Hinton would run into trouble in the eighth inning as Randy Gress started things off for the Braves with a double to left. Two outs later, Hinton walked Alex Romero. A Donell Linares single drove in Gress and that was quickly followed by an Eric Duncan RBI single as well. With the lead cut to 5-2, manager Mike Guerrero brought in Nick Green to put out the fire. In his first appearance for the Stars this season, Green got some help from Chris Errecart. The first-baseman made a nice catch over the railing in foul territory on a pop-up to end the inning.
Green gave up a lead-off single in the bottom of the ninth. One out later, another single brought the tying run to the plate. That would be all for Green as Brandon Kintzler entered to try and finish off the victory. Kintzler would walk pinch-hitter Orlando Mercado to load the bases. But he would bounce back to strike-out Travis Jones on three straight pitches. Romero would single home Gress and Willie Cabrera, and the Stars found themselves only up 5-4.
With the tying and winning runs aboard, Kintzler got Linares to line out to Cain to secure his seventh save of the season.
Lawrie and Cain both had big days at the plate as Brett went 2-3 with a run scored and two driven in. Cain also had a couple of hits with a run scored and a RBI. Cain swiped his 10th base of the year, but not to be out-done; Lawrie stole two bags to take the team lead with 11. Meanwhile Caufield’s homer extended his hitting streak to four games.
The win pulls the Stars to within a half game of West Tennessee for the second place spot in the North Division. The Smokies also won Thursday, so Huntsville remains four games out of first.
The Stars are back on the air Friday night for game two of the five-game set with the Braves. Join us on the AM 1450/92.9 FM WTKI and the Stars Radio Network or www.huntsvillestars.com beginning at 6:50pm Central Time. Former first round pick Mark Rogers (2-3, 4.20 ERA) heads to the mound to take on Mississippi’s Mike Minor (1-3, 3.43 ERA).
Stars offense explodes as they take series finale from Smokies
By Aaron Morse
Zelous Wheeler tallied four hits and the Huntsville Stars (20-20) matched their season high for homers in a game with three as they destroyed the Tennessee Smokies (24-16) by a final score of 11-3 Wednesday afternoon.
The Smokies took the early 1-0 lead on a Matthew Spencer RBI double in the top of the first.
But the Stars offense, which has been quiet for quite a few games, exploded in the bottom half of the frame against Smokies’ starter Alberto Cabrera.
With one away, Lee Haydel, fresh off the DL, smacked a single to right. After Brett Lawrie walked, Wheeler delivered a ringing 2-RBI double to center. Chris Errecart followed that with a double of his own and the Stars had a 3-1 lead. But they weren’t done. A wild pitch moved Errecart to third and with two down Andy Machado drew a walk.
That’s when the bottom of the order came up huge. Martin Maldonado legged out a rare infield single to drive in Errecart. Then the pitcher Alex Periard helped out his own cause by singling up the middle and the Stars had a 5-1 lead.
The Periard single chased Cabrera from the game after only 2/3rds of an inning.
Tennessee used the long ball to cut the Stars’ lead to 5-3 as Russ Canzler homered in the second and Ty Wright went yard in the third.
But the Stars answered both of those in the bottom of the fourth against reliever Jeremy Papelbon. Lorenzo Cain and Zelous Wheeler both smacked solo shots to extend the advantage to 7-3.
The Stars’ third long ball of the day came in the bottom of the 6th as Brett Lawrie drilled his 2nd bomb of the year.
They would put the game out of reach later that inning on a 2-RBI single from Andy Machado to go ahead 10-3. Lawrie would continue his big day of the plate with a RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to drive home Brent Brewer.
Alex Periard (2-2) tossed seven strong innings to get the win. He gave up three runs on seven hits, but shutout the Smokies for the final four frames he was in the game.
Everyone in the Stars’ lineup tallied at least one hit, while Lawrie, Errecart, and Wheeler each had multi-hit games. Those three also had multi-RBI games as the Stars scored as many runs Wednesday as they had in their previous five games combined.
With the win the Stars pull back within four games of the division-leading Smokies. They head on the road tomorrow to take on the Mississippi Braves. You can catch all the action on the Stars Radio Network and www.huntsvillestars.com beginning at 6:45pm Central Time with the Window World Pre-Game Show.
Zelous Wheeler tallied four hits and the Huntsville Stars (20-20) matched their season high for homers in a game with three as they destroyed the Tennessee Smokies (24-16) by a final score of 11-3 Wednesday afternoon.
The Smokies took the early 1-0 lead on a Matthew Spencer RBI double in the top of the first.
But the Stars offense, which has been quiet for quite a few games, exploded in the bottom half of the frame against Smokies’ starter Alberto Cabrera.
With one away, Lee Haydel, fresh off the DL, smacked a single to right. After Brett Lawrie walked, Wheeler delivered a ringing 2-RBI double to center. Chris Errecart followed that with a double of his own and the Stars had a 3-1 lead. But they weren’t done. A wild pitch moved Errecart to third and with two down Andy Machado drew a walk.
That’s when the bottom of the order came up huge. Martin Maldonado legged out a rare infield single to drive in Errecart. Then the pitcher Alex Periard helped out his own cause by singling up the middle and the Stars had a 5-1 lead.
The Periard single chased Cabrera from the game after only 2/3rds of an inning.
Tennessee used the long ball to cut the Stars’ lead to 5-3 as Russ Canzler homered in the second and Ty Wright went yard in the third.
But the Stars answered both of those in the bottom of the fourth against reliever Jeremy Papelbon. Lorenzo Cain and Zelous Wheeler both smacked solo shots to extend the advantage to 7-3.
The Stars’ third long ball of the day came in the bottom of the 6th as Brett Lawrie drilled his 2nd bomb of the year.
They would put the game out of reach later that inning on a 2-RBI single from Andy Machado to go ahead 10-3. Lawrie would continue his big day of the plate with a RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to drive home Brent Brewer.
Alex Periard (2-2) tossed seven strong innings to get the win. He gave up three runs on seven hits, but shutout the Smokies for the final four frames he was in the game.
Everyone in the Stars’ lineup tallied at least one hit, while Lawrie, Errecart, and Wheeler each had multi-hit games. Those three also had multi-RBI games as the Stars scored as many runs Wednesday as they had in their previous five games combined.
With the win the Stars pull back within four games of the division-leading Smokies. They head on the road tomorrow to take on the Mississippi Braves. You can catch all the action on the Stars Radio Network and www.huntsvillestars.com beginning at 6:45pm Central Time with the Window World Pre-Game Show.
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